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| After church they invited us over to their home for a delicious Pakistani meal and we had a wonderful time! |
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| One of the Pakistani girls just recently had a baby too! |
Evangeline and her little one are just 1 month apart! Our time at their house was deeply encouraging to Josh and I. The strength, perseverance and faith they have is beautiful! At the end of our time together we prayed for each other... We found solidarity with one another because Bangkok is still becoming home to all of us!
[Reflections from a Momma's Heart]...
I had a very sobering moment the other night. I was in a taxi with my sweet Evangeline and we were stopped in heavy Bangkok traffic. Nothing new there BUT it just so happened that where we were stopped I had a front row view of one of Bangkok’s notorious red light districts. As I sat there looking out my taxi window I could see women dressed beautifully, men of all ages searching for company, and children begging on the busy streets. As I watched the hustle and bustle of the streets I saw a man in his late 60s with a young Thai women about 18 or 19 years old. The man grabbed the girls hand and led her to the nearest tuk tuk driver. The driver and the man were negotiating a price for the ride to his hotel. Just a few minutes of bartering then couple jumped into the back of the small 3 wheeled tuk tuk. My heart was heavy. It wasn't my first time seeing all this. I have been down that road a million times; talking with some of the children who beg or some of the women working. This area was not new to me but for some reason it hit me a lot harder than usual. As I watched all of this from my taxi window my precious Evangeline was tucked away in her baby wrap. Her head was leaning against my chest and then she turned, tilted her head to look up at me. Those huge blue eyes, smooth cheeks and pink lips melted my heart! While my sweet girl was cuddled up next to me I was contemplating a thousand thoughts! I was thinking, “How can I raise my daughter to have the courage to not turn away from the broken places like this?” “How do I equip her to engage the messy world with compassion?” “How do I teach her to love in a way that gives dignity and respect to some of the most marginalized people groups?” My mother’s heart so desperately wants her to be brave enough to engage society and to be able come alongside those who are vulnerable and exploited; to affirm and empower them with dignity. As a parent of course we all want to shield and protect our children from brokenness and evil; but I believe the best thing we can do for our children and the world is to teach them to be brave, compassionate and to know how to interact with pain; just as Jesus did. As a think about raising my child cross-culturally I pray each day the the Holy Spirit will give me wisdom to teach her how to gracefully engage life with not just her words or good intentions BUT practically and tangibly help people. It makes me think of James 2:14-17.
"What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?
Can such faith save
them? Suppose a brother or a sister
is without clothes and daily
food. If one of you says to them,
“Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,”
but does nothing about
their physical needs, what good is it? In
the same way, faith by itself,
if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."
O Lord my prayer is that you give me wisdom to equip my daughter with steadfastness in You; so that she can enter into the brokenness of the world with humility yet courage to stand up for justice and peace like you did! O Lord let us all who call ourselves followers of you be brave enough to enter into the mess. Let us be compassionate to move into action and not just talk about doing something for you. Let us be sensitive to ask questions and to truly learn from people. Let us empower them and give them dignity as we serve!
